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The paper ‘Unravelling STEM: Beyond the acronym of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics’, was very interesting! It allowed me to reflect on the importance of active learning surrounding STEM lessons in the classroom. It emphasises the importance of involving the children and a hands on approach to STEM. This module really opened up my eyes to how I can enhance the teaching of STEM in my classroom. There are many different approaches to teaching STEM that can be used in the classroom. It could be effective to focus on different areas each term. A wole school approach could also be useful.
Exploring the difference between weather and climate could be a tricky topic especially in the younger classes. The difference between weather and climate could be quite abstract especially when the wording is often used together! Watching videos on these and defining the terms could be a good starting point- what is weather> what is climate? How do they differ I think researching different climates around the world could be a good lesson to emphasise the differences between weather and climate. For this, the children could use iPads and each be given a different country to research. Discussion could occur afterwards based on the different types of climate- are there simialrities/ differences?I definitely agree with you! I love the idea of bird feeders. In the newer parts of our school, we have the push taps which turn off after several seconds. This is a great idea to help reduce water waste
Climate change is effecting our local area by increased flooding. Average rainfall measurements are increasing. There is now a lot more flooding occurring throughout the year compared to past years. This is a consequence of climate change. Pupils could explore this further by carrying out a research project. Another effective idea would be to get parents to interview grand parents and parents about their experiences and memories of floods when they were children. Answers can be compared and contrasted. This enables children to make a link to the learning when relating family members life experiences. Photographs of the past and present could also be looked at.
3 actions that I could do is:
1. Make a conscious effort to continuously learn more about climate change and reflect my learning in my teaching to help the students learn about climate change.
2. Make a more conscious effort to recycle and dispose of waste
3. Engage in projects with my class that help to reduce the risk of climate change.I definitely agree that there should be an option of a balance between hot and cold lunches, we have encountered similar scenarios in our school.
The sustainable development goal I have chosen is ‘Zero Hunger’. At a local level in Ireland, the government have introduced the Free hot schools meals programme in DEIS schools. This is a great idea! However, when this was first introduced it was to DEIS schools only. It did not acknowledge that children attending non DEIS schools may also be hungry. This has since been changed which has acknowledged that children can be hungry and hunger is not determined by geographic location. However, when you look at hunger in our country and in 3rd world countries, the differences are stark but the sad similarity is that there are hungry children all over the world.
I think it is important when diving into the topic of ‘No hunger’, teachers are aware of their class and the needs that may be present. We sometimes as teachers can focus on this and on 3rd world countries when it can also be an issue here in Ireland due to family circumstances and the increase in cost of living!
As a teacher in a DEIS school, I always have breakfast bars in my cupboard as well as fruit juices. We sometimes have toast in the mornings as an introduction to the day. This is a soft start to the day and also allows children who may not have eaten breakfast a chance to have some in school.The school garden and planting trees are a good suggestion. It is important to involve the children in the process
EAL Programmes are extremely effective. These are in operation in our school and they have great benefits
The sustainable development goal I have chosen is ‘Zero Hunger’. At a local level in Ireland, the government have introduced the Free hot schools meals programme in DEIS schools. This is a great idea! However, when this was first introduced it was to DEIS schools only. It did not acknowledge that children attending non DEIS schools may also be hungry. This has since been changed which has acknowledged that children can be hungry and hunger is not determined by geographic location. However, when you look at hunger in our country and in 3rd world countries, the differences are stark but the sad similarity is that there are hungry children all over the world. However, hunger in Ireland and in 3rd world countries are portrayed differently in the media
I think it is important when diving into the topic of ‘No hunger’, teachers are aware of their class and the needs that may be present. We sometimes as teachers can focus on this and on 3rd world countries when it can also be an issue here in Ireland due to family circumstances and the increase in cost of living!
As a teacher in a DEIS school, I always have breakfast bars in my cupboard as well as fruit juices. We sometimes have toast in the mornings as an introduction to the day. This is a soft start to the day and also allows children who may not have eaten breakfast a chance to have some in school.
I definitely think there is a stereotype surrounding poverty too and how it is portrayed in the media
This was a very interesting module! I would definitely agree that gender stereotypes affect children from a young age. I think that toys and colours have a very important role to play in this. I teach in an all boys school.
From working with Junior Infants, I have observed that the children do engage in role play with the kitchen. However, the dolls are rarely interacted with unless it is for role play with doctors and the doll being a sick patient. One particular observation that stuck out to me was on our school tour. There were bounce hoppers for one aspect, these were pink and blue. The boys only wanted the blue bounce hoppers and would not use the pink ones. Some children even waited until a blue one was free. This really re-emphasised gender stereotypes and that pink is for girls. Reflecting on this, the children were just 5 and 6 years of age and this was already embedded in their heads about girls and boys colours! Perhaps, the activity centre should have just had all yellow bounce hoppers, rather than the 2 colours as this imposed the stereotype of pink is for girls and blue is for boys!
